A Singapore Plumber – You May Just Be Shocked To Learn How Much They Make!

To many in Singapore there are a few decent career choices such as working for the MNC, government or banking industries, or public services. The thing about the government agencies is that they tend to pay very well, but the work is not glamorous, it may not even be fun.

A winning trend for many is to become an entrepreneur and start their own business. Even then, rarely, will anyone choose a business to start in a trade such as plumber due to the massive work involved in not only the plumbing end of the business- but in setting up the business in the first place. If one did set up a plumbing business correctly- they would likely thrive in it!

Many think that the trade of plumbing, both owning a company and working as a plumber respectively- are low pay- but they’re wrong. This article hopes to highlight some of the best traits of being a Singapore plumber and how supply and demand play into the equation to make it one of the higher paying jobs you can have in Singapore. I hope your perception (if it is that being a Singapore plumber is not a good job) to one of hope and potential virtually untapped!

Evaluating the numbers, there were apx 1,119,600 (according to the Singapore Department of Statistics) households in Singapore in 2009. In 2010 there was an incredible housing boom bringing many more homes and it didn’t even stop there. In 2011 and far into 2012 the boom will continue. What does this mean for Singapore plumbers?

A great deal actually. At the markets current statistics alone, there is enough work for tens of thousands of plumbers and the demand for plumbers is actually trumping the supply of qualified plumbers available. This likely goes back to that “this isn’t a glamorous job” thing, but if you think about it, the money is where the work flows, pardon the pun.

An estimated 1% (12k+ households) or more of those households will need DAILY plumbing attention (not every household every day but that daily there is enough of a demand to warrant needing many more plumbers!). This doesn’t even count the normal plumbing demands on new construction projects (standard installations etc…), in town businesses that have a plumbing case once in a while (but with this many people that can translate into a very large number of plumbing cases needing attention)! That’s a whole lot of market and not enough plumbers. If you’re looking for a career that is ripe for making money- this is it.

Singapore has a strict and enforced law that nobody is allowed to practice plumbing without a license. Did you know that although the number of households, businesses, and plumbing jobs combines into more than 12k cases a year (or much more) there are only actually 800 incensed plumbers there! This could mean a few things:

The demands of plumbers is very concentrated and could be overwhelming. This is good for the plumber who has an unending supply of work, and if the plumber chooses they can raise their rates to lower the work load- an effective way to leverage supply and demand.

There are many homes, businesses, and construction projects without a plumber. This could mean lost money (if a business can’t function due to a plumbing issue it loses money, if you can’t leave the house because your afraid the water will fill up the home and destroy your property- you lose work wages. Bottom line- if there isn’t enough plumbers to do the job a lot of problems could develop!

All the plumbers are trying to take as much of or only the commercial contracts because they pay better (likely to garnish all the plumbers available by competing fiscally). This means an unstable community where plumbing is concerned. If too many people go without plumbing services it could mean national problems overall.

One thing to think about where it comes to becoming a Singapore plumber, is that the average yearly wage is between $10,000 – $17,000 a much higher wage than most professions in Singapore! Plumbers are in such high demand that the job itself is akin to the value Americans put on becoming a Doctor! In a way your a plumbing doctor, and the wages they make are right up there with a real doctor (in Singapore wage comparisons). Many are comparing the wages of high level executives with those potentially earned by Singapore plumbers!

You may not be able to or be interested in doing a kidney transplant or plastic surgery- but anyone with a little training and some experience become a plumber and it doesn’t take 9 years in grueling college courses and highly competitive ob markets to get there- they need you now actually- and they need you pretty bad. Isn’t this the goal of any business? To have people knocking down your door for your services to the extent that you can name your prices?

The next time you see a plumber in Singapore- don’t let their wardrobe fool you- they don’t dress up like executives due to the very nature of the job- it can be a very messy and dirty job- so they wear coveralls most of the time, but they are not at the bottom rung of the employment ladder- far from it!